demons
by call.me.clueless
Summary: Two bodies fell, and the third began to run. "Don't you see? Everything is related. You just have to connect the dots." / Sasuke-centric / AU / Mafia-verse


Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This applies for all future chapters as well.

* * *

Chapter One: An Introduction

"Where the hell did he go?" A voice said, slicing through the silence that had engulfed the man currently kneeling behind a rather revolting garbage can. The smell of week old, not to mention rotten, food made bile rise in the back of his throat. He pushed the thought aside knowing that any movement, puking or otherwise, could very well give away his position. Even though he knew that his partner was stationed not too far from him, gun cocked and ready to aim when the three men, their targets, would return, he also knew that in this business, it was better to simply rely on himself.

"I heard somethin'. To the right, Hibiki," A second voice spoke, though a little softer than the previous one. The kneeling man took this opportunity to pull his gun from its holster, preparing for the job that they had been assigned to do not twelve hours prior. He tilted his head slightly to the left and rose a single finger, indicating that it was time to move in on their targets. From his position, he could not see his partner but knew that his partner could see him and expected him to join him according to how they had planned. The man took a shallow breath, listening intently to the footsteps that were currently approaching his position. In his head, he could hear the numbers ticking away. _10, 9, 8._ More footsteps, faster this time as they seemed to find whatever it was they had been looking for. _7, 6, 5._ He assumed they would have their guns ready to go of course, but wasn't so foolish as to think that their targets had the upper hand. _4, 3, 2._ He cocked the weapon and situated his body in a way similar to that of an animal preparing to pounce on its prey. He was ready. _1, and 0._ He moved quickly, pulling the trigger without any hesitation, knowing that without a doubt, his partner in crime stood not ten feet from him pulling another trigger.

Two bodies fell and the third began to run.

It wasn't uncommon to have runners when they were unevenly matched. However, on this occasion, it simply wouldn't do to let the third man go free seeing as they needed to bring him in for questioning. He glanced at his partner, who smiled briefly before motioning to get moving. As usual, he was left to hunt the runner while Naruto stayed behind to clean up the mess. He put his gun back in its holster and took off. Legs seemingly running of their own accord, he caught up to the third man in a matter of moments. The man lunged, hitting his final target and taking him to the ground with ease.

"Don't struggle. It only makes it more difficult," He spoke swiftly, using as few words as possible as he fought of the other mans flailing arms and legs. At the first sign that he would attempt to scream and warn others of their predicament, a firm hand was placed on his mouth, silencing him further. Handcuffs were pulled from his back pocket and put around the man's large wrists. Simply for good measure, he found the pressure point behind the man's neck and knocked him out completely. Approximately three minutes had passed meaning that they only had about seven remaining before someone was called and things got cumbersome.

He looked back over his shoulder, making sure that Naruto was cleaning up according to protocol. He ran a hand through his spiky dark hair before releasing a sigh and turning back to the unconscious man at his feet. Positioning the upper half of the body over his shoulder, he rose and carried the man back the way they had came. His footsteps seemed to echo around him in the alleyways as he went, but he tried to pay no attention to them. As long as they were not discovered, it would be okay. There was only one rule to the business and the jobs that it entailed that he and Naruto were ordered to complete and that was to never ever, under any circumstances, get caught. He had made a point to be sure that his partner, being the man that he was, knew this well before they went on their first job together.

As soon as he reached his position, Naruto finished up his disposal of the two bodies and together, they carried their more important target towards the car awaiting their arrival.

And they still had two minutes to spare.

* * *

"So, this is Kondo Yasu, huh?" Naruto said, crossing his arms over his plain black t-shirt and matching motorcycle jacket. He leaned back against the leather interior of the spacious van.

"Obviously, dobe," The man opposite him replied, flipping through the file of the unconscious man once again. By this point, he had nearly memorized every detail about the man and didn't necessarily have to look through it again, but just like after every successful job, he liked to brush up on his facts in case he was needed to be the interrogator as well.

_Name: Kondo Yasu_

_Date of Birth: February 28, 1962_

_Eye Color: Brown_

_Hair Color: Black_

_Height: 5'7"_

_Weight: 178 lbs. _

_Affiliation: Unknown; recently seen with the Shibata Organization_

_Objectives: Unknown_

_To be: QUESTIONED._

_Summary: Kondo Yasu has lived in Tokyo all of his life. After attending the Tokyo School for the Gifted and Tokyo Universtiy, he began working. He has worked for the Ageda Law Offices for the past twenty-three years. __The Ageda Law Offices have been suspected of foul play in areas regarding our specific type of business and some of its employees have been dealing with the Shibata in recent months. The cause of the alliance remains unknown. Kondo__ resides in the Ishida Heights Apartment Complex on the far east side of Tokyo, Japan. Apartment number 42. His wife of twenty-seven years, Hana (age 49), and two children, Yuichi (age 18) and Yuji (age 15), all reside with him. If the target remains uncooperative, the three immediate family members may be contacted and terminated. _

"He's like fifty though. What the hell is he doing mixed up with this shit?" A blonde brow was raised, its owner curious.

"You act like I know the answer," He closed the file, recalling the gist of the information, and tossed it to the seat adjacent him, "There's a reason we needed to bring him,"

"It'd be a lot easier if everyone just walked around with their motives listed on paper and taped them their backs. I mean, come on!" Naruto practically yelled, cerulean eyes filled with agitation. This was, after all, their third job that week. Contrary to most belief, they lived separate lives during the day and doing so many nightly runs was beginning to disrupt their daily routines. He didn't blame Naruto for feeling the way that he did because he was relatively new to business. He, however, had been doing and dealing and trading and duking it out with the best of them for as long as he could remember. He had plenty of time to adjust to the lifestyle, "It's almost two anyway. We need to get back to base a.s.a.p."

"Hn,"

"Don't be such an ass, Sasuke. Use your words," Naruto chastised, hoping that his partner would get the hint and actually try to attempt at conversation. This, of course, was a failed try seeing as it was Uchiha Sasuke.

"Tch, idiot," Sasuke responded, not giving much thought to the natural reaction. He and Naruto had been partners for the past year and their name calling had resulted from their friendship.

"Whatever, at least we're here," Naruto said with relief, his smile returning. At the beginning, when Naruto had originally been brought into the organization, he would not smile for at least seventy-two hours after killing someone. As the year went on, the time span between killing and smiling shortened to be almost nonexistent. He supposed that it was simply part of Naruto's natural happiness and light that came with his personality. While Sasuke found this annoying a majority of the time, there were rare occasions when it would be reassuring. They were complete opposites, but that was precisely why they worked so well together.

As the driver parked the car in its usual spot, Naruto positioned the man over his should and prepared to carry him to their destination. Sasuke slid the door of the sleek black van open in a swift movement, grabbing the file as he exited the vehicle. He thanked the driver and lead the way towards the elevators of the parking garage stationed under their headquarters. As they walked, Sasuke noted that all of the other vehicles had returned for the evening, meaning that he and Naruto were the last ones to complete their job. Their superiors may not be too happy to see them after all.

They rode the elevator in silence, and once they reached the fifth floor, Naruto set the still unconscious Kondo Yasu down onto the cool tile floor. A tanned finger punched the seventh floor button, lighting it up as they made to exit to elevator. Together, the two men began their all too familiar trek to the head offices as the doors of the elevator closed, transporting Kondo to the interrogation unit. Silence filled the pristine, white hall they walked. There were no portraits of past leaders, no fun decorations, no clocks, no color, nothing. Completely blank. Completely susceptible and vulnerable to anything.

And the was precisely how the higher-ups liked it.

Finally at the end of the hall, the solid oak door stood. It was the only colored thing on the entire floor, Sasuke recalled, aside from the few visitors that it gets after nightly jobs. Sasuke raised his hand and knocked briskly, three times as he and all of the other members had been directed on the very first day on the job. A soft buzz sounded around them as the lock on the door was released from the office within.

"Uzumaki, Uchiha, we've been expecting you," A cool voice spoke as the clink of a glass was heard. Sasuke knew all too well that it was a small sake glass, clearly emptied after the nights festivities.

"Hai," Naruto began, bowing low, "Sorry we're a little later than everyone else, Tsunade."

"No harm done. You're targets were known for being night owls, so I was prepared for the occasion," She said, rubbing her index finger lightly along the rim of her glass, "Report?"

"Kondo Yasu has been apprehended and is currently is the interrogation unit. The two accomplices, Yagami Hirohito and Naga Yuuki, have been terminated as per your request. There were no witnesses and the bodies have been disposed of properly of course," Naruto stated, hands pressed firmly to his side as he relayed the information. He took a breath, waiting for his boss's approval. He glanced up from the ground where his gaze had been previously stationed, ready to possibly receive yet another job. Tsunade, with her long blonde hair pulled back into a low ponytail and her sleek black power suit, hardly seemed like the person to be running a business such as there's, Naruto noted for perhaps the n-th time. He knew, better than most, how forceful and dictating she could be and was never going to question her position, but the question always lurked in the back of his mind as to how she got the job in the first place. At the sound of the woman-in-question's voice, Naruto pulled from his thoughts.

"Good work, boys," Tsunade nodded appreciatively towards them, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips, "Dismissed until further notice,"

* * *

After saying a short farewell to Naruto, Sasuke made his way home. The drive was silent as always, save for the gentle hum of the engine. He tapped his thumb against the steering wheel as the he flew down the practically empty road. In a matter of minutes, he had returned to his apartment complex. Considering it was nearing 3 a.m., he was grateful to be home. He walked up the two flights of stairs in a dazed state, put the key in the lock without thought, and entered the abode. It seemed like an eternity since he had been here last.

He kicked off his shoes, leaving them in the same spot on the same rug as he had the past few years of his life, but only got as far as the couch before deciding that it was as good a place as any to sleep for a few hours. The thought of going to the repetitive and boring office job later on in the morning made him cringe, but he figured that it was better than going on another job for Tsunade. He rotated to face the open living room, scanning its environment. The room was positively spotless. This made sense, of course, seeing as how little the renter was actually there.

Everything had its place in Uchiha Sasuke's apartment and it was never out of order.

Ever since he was a child, Sasuke had learned to keep a clean, organized house. His father had been involved in the "business", and, as such, he never left any traces of evidence of the jobs he had completed or would complete in the future. His mother left no mess behind and burned a majority of the papers that were kept at the home after few days. His older brother, Itachi, has been interested in becoming a part of the world that their father despised and was accustomed to keeping such an unconnected life from the get-go. For a child, this meant little. To a twenty-four year old heavily linked to much of the "business" that he had grown up with, it meant the world. Any traces of evidence of any job he had ever completed or anything related to working under Tsunade, if found, could prove to be disastrous, and, in some cases, fatal. Sasuke knew better than to let anything slip through the cracks.

After a few moments of analyzing the room, Sasuke felt his eyelids grow heavy. Within seconds, they had fallen shut, almost glued together, as he slept deeply. The Uchiha had never been one to sleep much, but when he did, the tragedies of his successful jobs seemed to plague him. Though he didn't realize his body's reactions to the events while he slept, he was constantly thrashing around, muttering vague words to himself, and, after the most devastating of the jobs, he would frequently shake. While the single man slept that night, his pale body shook uncontrollably. He moved his strong hands further and further away until his arms had been completely outstretched.

"No," He whispered to no one in particular, the word wasted on a non-existent audience. In his mind, the giver of the tormenting dreams, however, the audience included hundreds.

"I...never...no...not me..." He mumbled again, his voice laced with fear and exhaustion. He was tired of this, tired of all of it.

_You killed us, you worthless bastard, and _you _will pay. _

* * *

NOTES. Okay, so I'm trying something entirely new. I know, I know. I really should be working on "Countdown" seeing as I haven't updated that in a very, very long time. This idea of a semi-mafia verse just came to me the other day and I decided I needed to write it down as soon as possible and get this baby out there! This chapter is merely to serve as an introduction to everything and it will pick up in future chapters. It also had a few tidbits of foreshadowing, but that's normal haha. I'm not about the update schedule for this one, but I will try to get it out as often as I can. As always, I hope you enjoyed and ask that you leave a review/PM to tell me your thoughts or voice any criticism or concerns that you may have.

.clueless.


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